This blog was originally intended to be the home for my dark age Britain project but on completion I found blogging such a great inspiration to complete stuff, that I just naturally continued. Please note that as a result of persistent spamming any comments are moderated . Sorry

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Friday, 6 March 2015

La Garde Avancera.....

More than 50 years ago I was inspired by my father to play with toy soldiers. I still have the books he bought me and the 20mm through to "s" scale Napoleonic soldiers I played with in those early years. They may be crudely painted in enamels etc. but I somehow can't bring myself to part with them. Now although I had a lot of French I never felt justified in fielding guard units but the yearning to field them never left me. I have now accrued almost 5 army corps of 6mm French infantry and felt I could at last justify the guard . That is what has kept me from posting over the last few weeks. I have been converting and painting those lovely MDF figures from "commission figurines" and well pleased I am with the result. There are a lot of converted figures in the cavalry but as long as you think about how the MDF may split, its easily taken care of. The divisional commands are of course the fine personality figures from Adler miniatures. They are simply the best. Here for your appreciation I give you "La garde imperial de 1809" in Germany.

I still have a couple of gun batteries to complete. I'll post the artillery when it's all complete.

Now individual units:-

These were the fusiliers and tirailleurs later to become the middle and young guard. No conversions apart from added standard and drums.

The old guard. again no conversions apart from a cut to the back of the busby to make it slope forward.

A combined unit of lancers and elite gendarmes. Both are heavy conversions. The gendarmes are French dragoons with the heads replaced by foot grenadier heads. The lancers are light horse with the shakos cut into a cone and a square of paper added to the top and of course added lances from wire.

Empress dragoons straight from the box with only an added standard.

Chasseurs! These are line hussars in colpack. I cut the front plume off and glued a new card one on the side. Voila the guard. To me they look fine.

Grenadiers a cheval. I used the French dragoon figure and replaced the head with heads from the foot grenadiers. Pleased with these too.

Finishing these has left me with a sense of satisfaction. I finally have the guard and by tomorrow I'll have a Napoleon too. First time ever heheheheh!

who goes there?

about me

I'm a happily retired veteran wargamer. We have lived here in Cataluña for some 30 odd years. I seldom have live opponents and am quite happy to game solo in all and every period or scale that takes my fancy